What is the prognosis for people suffering with cholangiocarcinoma?

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Quick Answer

As of 2015, the life expectancy and prognosis for patients diagnosed with bile duct cancer, or cholangiocarcinoma, depends on the location of the tumor, whether the cancer has spread and the patient's general health, according to MedicineNet. Generally, cholangiocarcinoma has a poor prognosis.

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For cholangiocarcinoma within the liver, at the localized stage, or stage one, the five-year survival rate is 15 percent, states MedicineNet. Once the cancer has regionalized in stage two or three or reached distant spread in stage four, the five-year survival rate drops to 6 percent and 2 percent, respectively.

Survival rates improve when the cholangiocarcinoma is outside the liver, notes MedicineNet. During stage one, there is a five-year survival rate of 30 percent . In stage two, the survival rate decreases to 24 percent, while distant spread reduces survival rate to 2 percent.